Student use of e-cigarettes increased this year

More than 1 in 4 high school students is an e-cigarette user, new CDC data say. That’s an increase from around 1 in 5 last year. At the same time, around 10% of middle school students reported using e-cigarettes in the month prior to being surveyed, up from around 5% last year. Nearly 70% of e-cigarette users reported using a flavored product — and the availability of flavors such as mint and chocolate was a reason that many students cited for trying e-cigarettes. The findings come a year after the U.S. surgeon general declared the surge in youth vaping an epidemic. They also come amid the CDC’s investigation of vaping-related lung injuries: The latest count from the agency finds that nearly 2,300 people have fallen ill, and 48 people have died across 25 states and Washington, D.C.